• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.82
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• pp.7-28
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• 2017

This paper argues that media criticism should be reestablished as an academic movement leading to the maintenance and maturity of democracy. Korean democracy has been withdrawn both procedurally and practically. However, the Korean media do not properly monitor democratic retreat. The purpose of journalism is to provide people with the information they need to be free and self-governed, and the public sphere is a condition of deliberative democracy. This paper proposed three practical strategies for media criticism. First, it is the overcoming of the conservative-progressive frame. It is important to look at what kind of media is responsible for democratic retreat. Second, media criticism should be expanded on workers and capitalists. Korea's labor relations are as distorted as the public sphere. Korean journalism did not set agenda for labor relations. Most reports were 'capitalist bias'. Finally, Media criticism should be the empowerment of the people who are the sovereigns of the media.

• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.56
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• pp.117-131
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• 2011

This study critically reviews the justifications for the restriction of cable local channel's news commentary function in terms of the fundamental principle of journalism. By doing so, it tries to find some problems and ways to solve them. Broadcasting Law and Korea Communications Commission's Rule inhibiting the news commentary of cable local channel on specific issues conflict with the basis of journalism which is particularly represented in Broadcasting Law. The law and rule tend to solidify public opinion for vested rights of local worthies. In addition, they are likely to degenerate cable local channel to the tools for promoting local government. Therefore, this article proposes the revision of the law and rule towards permitting the news commentary of cable local channel. At the same time, it suggests a new broadcasting policy for inducing cable local channel to increase manpower resources and production investment.

• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.62
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• pp.244-263
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• 2013

There have been enormous social impacts on many areas, including science journalism, since the so-called "Hwang Woo Suk" incident. Although wide demand for better science journalism has been aroused since then, but it is hard to find an evidence to prove we have reached the point. This study examines how major Korean newspapers report Unidentified Flying Objects in order to test if the level of science journalism had been elevated. As results, still it is a long road ahead to achieve the goals because most reports were taken from the international news agents or from the witnesses rather than scientific researches and analyses; terminologies used in the stories were ambiguous; follow-up stories were rare, the sources were usually pseudo-scientific, wanton errors in basic facts and coherence, and other problems were found. It could be suggested that the dependency on supplied news to be reduced, journalists who understand both science and journalism are required, inner regulations on science reporting to be established, correct quotations and fact-checks to be accomplished, fairness to be maintained within the boundary of normal science.

• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.5-15
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• 2015

A growing number of studies have examined the relevance and impact of social media in building organizational resilience, which the ability to recover from a crisis, in the field of emergency management. However, few studies have assessed how these emergency response organizations perceive their own use of social media in crisis situations. In attempting to fill this gap, this study conducted a structured survey with emergency-response organization representatives in Seoul, South Korea, to examine how such organizations evaluate their utilization of social media in an urban emergency situation and how their social media uses are related to promoting organizational resilience during adverse events such as a flood. Overall, the findings imply that organizations are not yet taking full advantage of social media. Respondent evaluations of their own social media use in all three assessment areas-information provision, information dissemination, and emotional messages-were not satisfactory. However, their perceptions of how well they utilize social media were positively related to how they view their organizational resilience. Therefore, it may be that these organizations realize the powerful role of social media in building organizational resilience but lack the knowledge and experience to make the best use of social media services.

• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.49
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• pp.20-38
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• 2010

This paper was attempting to identify determinants of media repertoires based on new services and technologies. Using the regression and discriminant models, this study examined determinants that included five independent factors such as the degree of innovation, social networks, social influences, demographic variables and media uses. The analyses revealed that all of independent variables except the degree of innovation were significant determinants of media repertoires. Secondly, the results of discriminant analyses showed that terrestrial television use, age, disposable income were significant factors discriminating new media service adopters from the sample. For new media related technologies adopters, family income, and media uses such as newspaper, Internet and radio were significant discriminant variables.

• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.41
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• pp.200-231
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• 2008

This study content-analyzed Korean cable television programs aired from Feb. 6 to Feb. 19, 2007, focusing on the contextual variables linked to violent acts. A total of 657 PAT's (perpetrator-action-target) in the 68 programs sampled were analyzed for characters' age, sex, type, relationship, and motivation, humorization, punishment for their violent acts, and finally reality of violence. According to the results, (1) most violence occurred among male characters, who were at their ages between 20 and 39; (2) more than half of the total violent acts happened among acquaintances including family members; (3) anger, retaliation, personal or group interest, and violence for fun were ranked at the top tiers of the motivation list; (4) most violences were overlooked without punishment; (5) and about 80% of the whole violence were realistic. In terms of program types, (1) female perpetrator and victims appealed more often in drama than the other genres; (2) violence among acquaintances and simple fun as motivation were prevalent most in entertainment programs; (3) every violent act in children's programs was done by unrealistic characters. According to the analysis by program ratings, (1) while least violence appeared in '19 and older', all of the violent acts were portrayed as realistic; (2) humorization were most prevalent in the 'everyone' rating; (3) and female perpetrators and victims appealed most in the programs rated as '15 and older'. Generally, various contextualized violences displayed different distributions according to program types and ratings. The qualitative features of the current findings about cable television violence provide a fundamental data for future studies, which will explore the subsequent effects of violent media contents.

• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.67
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• pp.152-176
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• 2014

Public opinion has dramatically shifted from positive to negative in Korea society especially since the IMF crisis. Such terms as 'aristocratic union', 'collectivism', 'damages on public interest' became a kind of conventional wisdom. Undoubtedly, media's representation has much to do with such a tantamount difference. This study thus attempts to understand the mechanism by analyzing media discourse related to labor strikes. For this purpose, this paper made a choice three cases including doctor-pharmacist dispute, general strike by truckers' solidarity, and Ssangyong Motor's strike. Total 217 editorial pieces of , and conceived to be a representative newspaper of ideological stance were analyzed. Research showed that while paying particular attention to demoralizing labor strikes, shed positive light on such disputes by articulating fundamental causes hampered by pro-capital policies along with anti-labor law enforcement. The believed to be relatively a neutral one showed ambivalent attitudes toward those cases. More favorable and inclusive reporting were found in accordance with policy shifts as well. Media's selective partisanship for the sake of private interests is firmly believed to downgrading credibility on Korean journalism. Also is fair, balanced and less biased reporting over socal disputes a vital part in crystallizing social consensus. In this consideration, the authors hoped this study to provide an opportunity to contemplate on what would be desirable journalistic values in modern democracy.

• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.57
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• pp.7-32
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to examine the perverted labors of online newspapers' editors in Korea. Online newspaper editors' works were be influenced directly and indirectly by the printed newspaper, the parent company of online newspaper. Their labor conditions were poorer than online newspaper editors'. And online newspapers' editors didn't have status as professionals. They set a premium on Internet traffics on their works. For online newspaper editors' normal labor conditions, the most practical measure was to normalize the editorial system of online newspapers. How to raise the status of online newspaper editors was to secure the online newspapers' editorial right. And to conclude, to improve the quality of online journalism in Korea, the most urgent issue is to improve online newspaper editors' professionalism.

• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.74
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• pp.136-176
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• 2015

Despite the great significance we attach on culture, only a handful of researches focus on the characteristics and practices of cultural journalism. This study has aimed to unravel the changes in the trajectory of cultural journalism of Korean major newspapers, through content analysis and qualitative interpretation of the cultural contents they report. The results show that the number of cultual items have decreased compared to that of 10 years ago, although the entire number of pages has meanwhile increased. News items focused on 'products(advertisement)' and 'life(style)' have increased, whereas those on 'knowledge refined' and 'leisure entertainment' have decreased. 'Critique review commentary', 'academics' and 'performance exhibition art music' items turn out to have decreased significantly; soft contents such as mass culture, tourism, fashion and beauty, on the other hand, have increased considerably. Moreover, the demographic characteristics of news contributors remain almost the same, except that the proportion of ordinary readers/audience has slightly increased. Similarly, although there were no difference regarding the sources of direct quotation, the frequency of quotes from ordinary readers has increased. Consequently, these results imply how the cultural journalism of Korean newspapers are limited in encompassing diverse types of content, differentiating constitution, and presenting critical viewpoints.

• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.59
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• pp.31-49
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• 2012

This study investigates normative role model of the journalists under the changing environment. Firstly, this article explores what pressure the new media environment gives to the journalists in their routine of news production and distribution. These are stated from the angle of epistemological, professional and interactive pressure. Next, as a reference for the standard journalism in the age of mass media, the idea of Rhee Young-hee, a late journalist who won respects from many Korean journalists, is studied. His firm belief in the pursuit of hard facts, rigorous investigative writing and expertism are spelt out. Then, this study explores how, in real term, this pressure changes the journalistic value, norm and practices in the newsroom. Ten of Koran journalists are interviewed in order to get their idea about the emerging journalistic standards under the digital environment. From this in-depth interviews, it is conclued that the pursuit of hard fact, investigative writing, expertism of Rhee Young-hee are, nonetheless the change of the media technology, still effective and provide good reference points for the enhancement of the standard of journalism in Korea. However, it is also suggested that the methods to fulfil desirable journalism in the digital age should be different from that of the mass communication age. The interviewees make propose that the journalist, as a network node, news curator or coordinator, should actively interact with the audiences facilitating their enhanced potential as a news 'prosumer'(producer and consumer).